Danish mountain bike frame manufacturer Pronghorn Racing turned away from conventional mountain bike design and built the bike suspension into the top tube. Based on F1 race suspension design, the mountain bike handles like a hardtail when pedaling uphill but gives you the benefit of full suspension when traveling downhill or over technical terrain. Pronghorn believe they have created the perfect mountain bike for cross country racing.
Called the Anti Power Loss System (APLS), the patent pending bike suspension consists of a specially designed linkage with the shock mounted over the top tube. This top mounted shock makes for a more rigid rear triangle and the combination with the new linkage design ensures a straight push on the shock, cutting down on friction.
There is no energy lost when hammering up hills or steep technical terrain. The pivots in the linkage ensure that the energy from your pedaling works horizontally. The energy from the chain is not pulling the rear wheel up and down, but instead translates into the seat stay that locks out when riding. This design eliminates the usual pedal bobbing, making it faster and more efficient.
The top tube shock position gives you easy access to lockout while riding and does away with the need for remote lockout access systems. You can use any type of shock that you prefer within the APLS design.
The Pronghorn Racing frames with top tube bike suspension will cost you from €1,675 to €2,275 and can be bought from the company website.